Playing it safe, Provence style: The gift sets from L’Occitane are exactly the kind you buy for others and then, oops, forget at home and keep for yourself. They look good, they smell good, so it’s really hard to go wrong here. You can put together a custom gift according to your budget or go for a ready-made set from the Cherry Blossom collection, launched this holiday season in a new design. It has a calm, delicate scent that isn’t overwhelming, perfect for gentle girls. In the series you can find perfume in two sizes, body lotion, hand cream, and also our favorite – a shower gel that’s a treat with a scent that stays with you all day.
L’Occitane, Cherry Blossom gift sets – NIS 263–487, available at the brand’s stores
Playing it safe, local version: VOS is the Israeli alternative to the brand you can’t go wrong with. Everything looks precise, from the edge of the packaging to the last bottle, smells amazing, and beyond clean cosmetics, these are simply pleasant products that do the job. In the set we tried there were three: a lifting cream (NIS 230) that gives a gentle tightening and healthy glow, a face soap with the beloved rosewater powder scent (NIS 99) that cleanses without drying, and a body cream (NIS 120) that absorbs quickly without weighing down, even on humid days, and leaves a pleasant almond scent. An inspiration card deck (NIS 280) is a bonus for anyone into messages from the universe (who are you anyway) and ready to commit to a daily ritual of positive thoughts.
VOS gift sets, available online and in the Beit Yitzhak store
Among all the perfumes unlike anything else by Jo Malone, the relatively solid scent of Cypress & Grapevine is what does it for us. It’s warm, clean, woody, and spiced just right – a masculine scent women will love to smell and also spray on themselves. The super-luxury set includes a 100 ml perfume and a body and hand wash that both looks good and smells noticeable from a kilometer away after every use.
Jo Malone, Cypress & Grapevine set – NIS 1,020
Laline, the queen of basics, is aging gracefully into her products and upgrading the shea series with a clean and minimal design. The scent is sweet and a little girly but in a subtle, not over-the-top way. Beyond the peeling cream that’s always our favorite, it’s worth checking out the selection of makeup and toiletry bags.
Laline, Shea & Kukui gift sets. Until 15.10 all products are on 3+3 promotion on the cheapest items
Is an anti-aging serum in a pretty bag a legit hostess gift? Until this dramatic question is settled, here are some worthwhile gift sets that work as presents or even better – for self-stockpiling:
At Clinique, they offer a set from the excellent Smart anti-aging line. In a particularly pretty makeup bag, you’ll find a full-size serum and two mini products – a moisturizer and an eye cream, our go-tos for long, dry flights thanks to their buttery, comforting texture.
Clinique, Smart set – NIS 295
Fans of Estée’s repair serum and its brown-bottle friends will be thrilled to get their hands on a night routine set that includes, in addition to a full-size serum, the excellent cooling and soothing eye gel, the high-quality foaming cleanser, and a night cream – all in special sizes (meaning minis).
Estée Lauder, The Lift and Glow Routine set – NIS 580, products valued at NIS 945
The Origins moisturizer with SPF 25 stayed on our face all summer, and there’s no reason to stop now. Together with it in the set are products from the same line, perfect for a transitional stage when skin needs refreshing but not heavy-duty richness – a full-size serum, a thorough cleanser that doesn’t strip the skin, and an eye cream with retinol that soothes the delicate eye area without the familiar side effects and also holds concealer well.
Origins, Plantscription set – NIS 600, products valued at NIS 1,045
Hava Zingboim’s travel kit, in a white and practical bag, will get you ready for a short trip, whether to Tiberias or a resort in Seychelles, and is an opportunity to try some of the brand’s best products. It includes a gentle foaming cleanser, lightweight oil-free moisturizer suitable for the summer that will last here at least until after the holidays, a protective anti-pollution and screen-radiation spray serum, and an SPF50 cream with a light tint that covers sun protection needs.
Hava Zingboim, travel kit – NIS 649, available from licensed cosmeticians and online
And if dessert was assigned to you: Golda, the ice cream empire, is expanding into a surprising field that doesn’t involve sugar and spoons, launching limited-edition home fragrances – salty pretzel (I shit you not) and strawberry sorbet. The strawberry we tried was pleasantly and unexpectedly delightful – sweet, tangy, and fresh, avoiding the trap of ultimate cheesiness, sprayed again and again in the living room. The set comes (of course) with half a kilo of ice cream.
Golda, Rosh Hashanah set – NIS 159, available in stores and the app
And now for the season’s new perfumes and what we thought of them:
Wintery, deep, and smoky – the new Tom Ford from the Private Blend series is for those who prefer to be remembered first by their scent and only later by their name, if you know what we mean. A combination of oud, the king of luxury oriental ingredients, with spices, fruits, and flowers makes this a statement fragrance with a strong presence, perfect for rainy and especially cold weather. For fans of the genre and their families.
Tom Ford, Oud Voyager – NIS 1,010 for 50 ml, available at select Super-Pharm branches and Factory 54
Swedish lifestyle brand Byredo offers three of its leading perfumes in a mini format, for those who want to sample iconic scents but aren’t into committing to one big (and expensive) bottle. The chosen trio: The spicy-sweet Bal d’Afrique, the refreshing Gypsy Water, and our undisputed favorite, Blanche – the best clean-laundry-scented perfume in history.
Byredo, trio of 12 ml mini perfumes – NIS 485, available at Factory 54
Loved the original Goddess? Meet its winter version. Burberry went for a more intense, heavier variation of the feminine, elegant, and classic perfume. Warm suede notes of luxury were added to the base, vanilla gained new depth, and the trail lasts longer.
Burberry, Goddess Parfum – NIS 709 for 100 ml
The feminine scents of Tommy Hilfiger always stay in a safe zone, and the new perfume from the American designer doesn’t stray from the clean, young, and balanced line of the previous ones. Only now, to the youthful airy floral-sweetness is added a sophisticated, more mature layer, some might say too mature, with a smoky, intriguing twist that makes it evening-appropriate.
Tommy Girl New York – NIS 225 for 100 ml
Niche brand THOO releases a perfume that smells like banana bread with peanut butter, calling it: “An Irresistible Temptation.” Well, we love dessert, we love dessert-scented perfumes, we drool over sweet-and-salty, and it’s hard to deny this is a real temptation. It’s not a perfume for a wide audience, oh no. The opening with lemon and ylang-ylang still keeps some balance, but the moment banana bread enters the picture, it’s either you love it or you run to the shower to scrub. Although it sounds like a recipe for disaster (seriously? peanut butter?), the result is surprisingly sophisticated – the sweet scent of fresh cookies, balanced with violets. It can work, but keep in mind your surroundings will probably split in two – those who want a bite and those who want to open a window.
THOO, L’EXPLICITE – NIS 1,180 for 75 ml
The original version was a deep, spicy cognac, while the new version tries to cool it down with a surprising touch of cold mint in the blend. This isn’t a cuddly perfume – it’s complex, different, luxurious, and dramatically boozy, for those who can handle it. Kudos to the beautiful bottle, which looks like a faceted whiskey glass you might have swiped from a 5-star hotel bar last summer.
Kilian Paris, Angels’ Share on the Rocks – NIS 930 for 50 ml
The new Gucci is an Instagrammable, very sweet and fun perfume. The scent is sweet-floral, like a pink cocktail with a cherry on top – cheerful, light, and colorful, extroverted but not overbearing, and very long-lasting throughout the day. The bottle, in case you missed it, is stunning.
Gucci, Flora Gorgeous Gardenia – NIS 686 for 100 ml
Some perfumes enter the room five minutes before you do, and some just accompany you with class. The new Michael Kors belongs to the latter – opening sweet and fruity for those who like it, softening quickly into a warm, feminine, elegant scent. Lasts nicely for a few hours without suffocating, better suited for evenings than office days.
Michael Kors, Pour Femme Absolu – NIS 449 for 100 ml
Anyone who’s ever wandered into a perfume department quickly realizes there are rules, and there are those who come to break them. With an exaggeratedly pink bottle and a loaded name, Hysterica by Gritti is exactly that. On paper, plum, honey, and white pepper sound like chaos, but that’s where the magic lies. Because although these scents are familiar, the blend with jasmine, rose, and hints of vanilla and liqueur creates something entirely different. Give it a moment to settle on the skin, and it reveals itself as warm, deep, and maybe even addictive. It’s not for everyone, certainly not for those seeking a delicate or safe scent. But for anyone wanting to leave an unforgettable oriental trail under the bold title “interesting” – this is the perfect choice.
Gritti, Hysterica – NIS 1,371 for 100 ml
Lucius is an ultra-masculine, no-nonsense perfume that can serve to mark territory. It has hot pepper and bergamot, a hint of orange blossom, vetiver, and the presence of senior management. The price is high, but those who smell like this don’t ask about discounts.
Lucius, Fragrance Du Bois – NIS 1,370 for 100 ml
Versace does what it knows best: A masculine, present scent that isn’t over the top. The opening is fresh with lemon and orange, lavender and pink pepper add a bit of spice, and finally, a woody-musky base lingers nicely on the skin. The bottle is thick blue glass with particularly beautiful ornamentation.
Versace, Eau Fraîche Extrême – NIS 499 for 100 ml